Dak Prescott contract extension update: What’s the holdup?

Jerry Jones has made it clear he feels no urgency to get a deal done with quarterback Dak Prescott before the regular season starts. Meanwhile, Prescott has made it clear he’s just focused on football and is letting his agent and the Cowboys’ executives work out things like contracts.

The Dallas Cowboys quarterback is entering the final year of his current deal, unable to be franchise tagged or traded, and will likely become a free agent if a deal is not signed before the start of the regular season, which is just days away now. Of course, it’s never as simple as just writing up some numbers and signing a paper.

Those discussions are happening, but nothing has been done and time is running out. So, what’s the holdup?

Length of contract a point of concern in Dak Prescott negotiations

The Athletic’s Dianna Russini spoke on her Scoop City podcast, saying that the major holdup in the Prescott negotiations is the length of the contract.

“The holdup at this point from what I understand is about the years the Dallas Cowboys are willing to commit to,” Russini said. “He’s looking for a long-term commitment from Dallas. So the hold up here is really the belief from the Dallas Cowboys. This is a guy who’s won a lot of games. But is that enough? Winning’s not enough for Jerry Jones. We know this. They want to do more... they don’t want to just be the team that wins a lot of games. They want to be the team that can play in the Super Bowl.”

Last season, the Cowboys went 12-5 for the third year in a row, won the NFC East, and then bombed their first playoff game against the Green Bay Packers, an all-too-familiar scenario for Dallas. The team has not been to the Super Bowl in nearly three decades.

Prescott had one of the best seasons of his career, throwing for 4,516 yards and an NFL-leading 36 touchdowns to just nine interceptions. He was the NFL MVP runner-up after Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson. He will very likely become the highest-paid player in the league based on his value and the current market. It’s just a question of whether or not that will be with the Cowboys.

The Cowboys will begin their season on Sunday, September 8 with a road game against the Cleveland Browns at Huntington Bank Field.